May 26, 2022 3:40 a.m.

In the KQEN Business Spotlight;

Roseburg Forest Products held a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of its new Roanoke Valley Lumber sawmill in Weldon, North Carolina on Tuesday.

Corporate Communications Director Rebecca Taylor said the company announced its plans expand its operations in the southeast U.S. last summer with the new 375,000-square-foot, high-capacity dimensional lumber mill, during an event with that state’s governor Roy Cooper.

Taylor said since the initial announcement, extensive preparation work has occurred at the 200-acre site to prepare for construction. Roseburg has contracted with BID group to design, build and equip the sawmill complex. Taylor said the mill is expected to create more than 135 jobs in the first two years.

At the event, speakers included plant manager Adam Reed who said, “Roseburg has been the largest private timberland owner in the Roanoke Valley area since 2017, with nearly 200,000 acres of timberland in North Carolina and Virginia”. Reed said the new plant advances Roseburg’s strategy of vertical integration. That means owning the trees and the facilities to process them – from the West Coast to the Southeast. Reed said, “It reflects our long-term commitment to the Roanoke area, which has welcomed us to the community with open arms”,

Weldon Mayor Hugh Credle said the groundbreaking is a significant milestone not only for Roseburg Forest Products but also for Weldon. Credle said. ”We are laying the foundation for the growth of Roseburg Forest Products and the Town of Weldon, and a tremendous partnership for years to come”.

Taylor said Roseburg currently has thirteen manufacturing facilities in North America, including the country’s second largest short stud mill in Dillard. Taylor said the company carefully selected the site for the new mill, with criteria including market demand, business climate, and workforce availability at the top of the list.

Pictures from the ceremony are posted with this story at www.541radio.com